


Reunions Don't Always Suck

by winchesters_united



Category: Supernatural
Genre: High School Reunion AU, M/M, i have no clue how to tag lmao, unrelated wincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 16:24:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11948061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winchesters_united/pseuds/winchesters_united
Summary: Sam goes back to California for the high school reunion and runs into his childhood best friend, and... had Dean always been that hot?





	Reunions Don't Always Suck

Condensation from the open bottle dripped down onto calloused fingers, then down on the man's wrist as he took a slow sip of the alcoholic contents inside. His eyes were closed, face calm, and he was humming along to "Dazed and Confused," thumb lightly tapping along to the beat on his thigh. And it was probably the most relaxed Dean Winchester had been in the past 15 years.

He didn't bother look up, barely even moved a muscle, when the car door slammed shut, though he could barely hear it over the pure musical genius blaring through the crappy speaker of his stereo. It wasn't until there was a shadow looming over him that he moved, inching up from the back of his seat and pursing his lips as he squinted up at the person in front of him.

"You're still tone-deaf, huh?"

"Wasn't sure you'd come," Dean sighed quietly, ignoring the question. He reached over to turn off the speaker before grabbing another beer from the cooler and opening it, wordlessly lifting it up to the man in front of him. "I mean, not after the way things ended."

A snort made Dean look up again, watching thin lips wrap around the head of the beer bottle, and he swallowed thickly, throat clicking as he tore away at the inside of his cheek with his teeth. "Just because things went to shit between us," the man mumbled quietly, "doesn't mean I'm missing the reunion. You're not the only person from school that I miss."

"You look good," Dean offered quietly, tonguing the wound in his mouth before offering a small smile. "Could use a haircut, but you look good... Been workin' out lately?"

"Yeah, Stanford had a gym, and I had a lot of pent up frustration. Kinda picked up a habit. You know how it goes." The other man shrugged, and Dean couldn't help but frown because he didn't know 'how it goes.' Not at all. "You look good, too, though. Still working at the shop?"

"Mhmm. Haven't stopped since graduation. Own it now," Dean said, taking another swig of beer before leaning back in the lawn chair. "How 'bout you? Still some fancy lawyer?"

"Not much has changed... Listen, you know my mom. She's gonna bug out if I'm not back soon, and she's gonna flip. Just wanted to stop by and see how you're doing. I'll see you around though, okay?"

"Yeah, I get it. See you around, Sammy." As Dean watched Sam pull away, he couldn't help but feel like he was 18 again and watching his best friend leave him behind. "See you around."

 

* * *

 

 

A slam of his car door, and he instantly relaxed in the leather seats of his car, eyes shutting as he scrubbed a hand over his face. He quickly started the car, not wanting Dean to think he was waiting around for too long, and drove around the corner towards the three-bedroom apartment he called home.

Realistically, he could have walked. It wasn't that far from where he lived, and it was one of the most beautiful days in a while. But he knew that if he walked, Dean would've offered to walk him home. Because that's just the kind of person Dean is. And Sam Campbell needed his space for a little while longer.

He ended up driving to the park instead of his house, seeking the quiet sounds of nature instead of the unnecessarily loud techno music of his teenage brother. There weren't many people in the park, never really were nowadays, especially with television and computers around, but he liked the silence. He remembered when he was a kid, he'd drag Dean out in front of a tree - /their/ tree - and just sat there, watching the swans in the lake, and the clouds rolling by in the sky.

It was always his happy place.

Before the fight. Before Dean looked at Sam the same way he used to look at Ruby when she would get a little too close to Sam freshman year. Before Sam watched Dean cry for the first time. Before everything changed.

He knew it was his fault. And if he told his younger self that /he/ was the reason there was a wedge between him and the only person he's ever truly loved, his teenage counterpart wouldn't understand. Could never understand. He barely did himself...

Sam took a deep breath and sat down by their tree, eyes closing as he relaxed. He was glad he went to go see Dean, glad his mom did nothing but hound him about it since his plane landed three days prior, and glad that he listened to her.

Dean looked just like he remembered him, except he filled out a bit, less awkward in his own skin and more confident with his movements - it's almost as if, in the 15 years Sam hadn't seen him, he'd finally realized just how hot he truly is. He always was so oblivious when people tried to hit on him, eyes always trained on the one person who loved him the most.

Maybe it was good that he came back, that he broke up with Jess a month ago and put his job on pause for a three-month sabbatical. Maybe it all led up to him being back at home, back with Dean. Right where he's always belonged, where he's never wanted to leave.

Now all Sam had to do was get Dean's attention back on him. And hopefully it would be easier than it seemed to be.

 

* * *

 

 

The chime above the door signaled the entrance of somebody, and Dean let out a loud "Gimme a minute!" before pushing himself out from underneath the car, grunting as he sat up and wiped the car grease off on his coveralls.

"How can I help ya?" Dean asked, rubbing his hands clean on a nearby cloth before looking up at the person in front of him.  
He knew who it was immediately, without Sam even having to turn around. Even though Sam got taller, and his hair grew longer, Dean still knew him. At least, that's what he kept trying to tell himself...

Sam was smiling widely when he turned around, and Dean couldn't help the small gasp that left his lips as his eyes focused on the braces-free dimpled smile. "I wanted to see you."

A week had passed since Dean had last seen Sam, and he started to think that maybe Sam decided it wasn't worth it. That he just grabbed the first plane back to New York, not a single goodbye between them.

He was so glad he was wrong.

"Surprise visits, huh?" Dean snorted, running a hand through his hair as he turned away from Sam. Suddenly, it felt like they were 17 again, when Dean first got the job at the shop and Sam would visit him every day after school. "How ya been? 's been a while since I last saw ya."

"I know, I needed some time to think a few things over," Sam mumbled, and Dean almost winced at the guilt laced in Sam's words. He always hated making Sam feel guilty. "But I'm back and better than ever. And you can't get rid of me this time."

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes as he turned back around, leaning on the counter. "Reunion is tomorrow... I dunno if I wanna go."

Sam raised an eyebrow, and Dean ripped off another piece of skin from the inside of his cheek, a bad habit that he'd dropped as soon as Sam left. "Why wouldn't you go?"

Dean scoffed again and gestured around him before folding his arms and shrugging. "'m gonna be the laughin' stock 'a the group. Look atchya, Sammy, some fancy ass lawyer in the big city," Dean huffed and shrugged again before cracking his knuckles and sighing. "And 'm a crackpot who barely made it through high school. Still lives in town and 's been workin' at the same garage since he was 17. I ain't got no achievements or nothin'."

Sam seemed to process that, fingers tapping lightly on his forearm just like he used to when he was thinking way too hard, and Dean let a small grimace settle on his face. "That's not true and you know it. You run a business. So what if you still live in a small town and so what if it's the same job you've had since high school? That's a lot better than some people, honestly. Besides, you've always been liked by everyone. Nobody is going to laugh at you."

"Remind me ya said that night of," Dean snorted, but put up no fight. He knew he wouldn't win, not against Sam, who had been winning their arguments since day one. It was one of the reasons Sam became a lawyer and not a teacher like he wanted to be in school. "Aight, seriously, ya got anything ya wanna talk 'bout? 'Cuz I got about five cars in the back that haveta be fixed and all my staff are outta town."

"I can help, you know," Sam mumbled quietly, and Dean had to lean towards him to hear what he was saying. "You taught me how to work on cars, and I never really quite stopped after that."

Dean frowned, a smile quickly replacing it as he nodded. "Aight, grab a pair of coveralls and hand me the monkey wrench."

"Ay ay captain," Sam laughed before picking up the monkey wrench and tossing it to Dean, who quickly caught it. Dean smiled a bit wider as he moved back to lay down under the Honda he was working on earlier, eyes occasionally flicking over to Sam working on the car next to him.

"Don't fuck it up tho, kid," Dean laughed as he slid under the car. "'s my job on the line here."

"Oh shut up," Sam scoffed, shaking his head, brown hair moving to cover his forehead, and Dean couldn't help but wonder if Sam's hair was just as soft as it was when they were younger. "Not a kid anymore..."

Dean looked away from Sam to the car in front of him and he let out a quiet sigh. "Yeah, you're not..."

A comfortable silence fell over the shop, the sound of metal on metal being the only thing breaking the quiet, and Dean couldn't help but wonder why they ever stopped hanging out like this.

 

* * *

 

 

Sam would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous for the reunion. Sure, he was "some fancy ass lawyer," as Dean had so gracefully put it, but he wasn't sure what everyone would think of him. He did one final check in the mirror, finger gently pushing back a gelled piece of hair, before he sighed and stepped outside of his room.

He was supposed to meet Dean before the reunion, and they would carpool to the restaurant together.

"Saves gas 'n money," Dean had reasoned, shrugging as he pulled off the top half of his coveralls, revealing a white shirt and more arm muscle than Sam was ready for.

Sam gulped at the memory, loosening his tie as he said goodbye to his parents. Unfortunately, the reunion being held at some fancy restaurant on the outskirts of town meant that he had to dress up. But, on the bright side, it meant Dean had to dress up, and Dean had always looked good in a suit.

The walk to Dean's was just as short as Sam remembered it to be, and he felt a strange wave of nostalgia as he shoved his hands in the jacket of his tux.

He only knocked once, three light taps in their own version of morse code, and he smiled widely when he heard the grumble of Dean's voice and the faint click of the lock being opened.

"'m almost ready," Dean mumbled, moving back towards the bathroom as Sam pushed the front door open. "Just gimme a minute."

Sam laughed quietly as he heard the bathroom door close, soon followed by a crash and a loud curse from Dean. "You okay in there?"

"'m fine," Dean hissed, and Sam could tell he was clenching his jaw and glaring at the door just from the tone of Dean's voice. "Shut up 'nd sit down ya brat."

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch, eyes scanning the living room. It wasn't until a picture on the bookshelf caught his eye that he stood up again, fingers warily picking up the picture. "Lisa Braeden, huh?" he asked loudly, doing his best to keep his voice even and calm. "She's always been pretty."

"Yeah, I guess," Dean whispered, and Sam almost jumped at how close Dean was. "Never really thought of her that way. She was like my lil sis, y'know? I took care of 'er and Ben when her husband abadoned 'em. She moved outta town a few years ago 'nd stopped replyin' to my emails or texts. Guess she foun' someone."

Sam could feel Dean shrug before stepping back, and Sam took one last glance at the photo before placing it back on the shelf. Turning around, he was about to apologize for what Lisa did to him, for what /he/ did to him, but his words got caught in his mouth.

"What? Why ya starin' at me? Do I got somethin' in my teeth?" Dean asked quietly, head ducking down as his cheeks began to pink slightly, and Sam couldn't help but shake his head as he averted hus gaze.

Sam cleared his throat before looking back at Dean, a smile on his face. "No, you don't have anything in your teeth. You, uh... You look good. Like /really good/."

Dean glanced back up at that, a glint of something in his eyes that Sam couldn't quite decipher, and he grinned back in reply, nodding. "Well, ya don't look so bad yourself, sasquatch. Ya clean up good. Now, c'mon, don't wanna miss the reunion."

Dean gave Sam a pat on the shoulder as he turned around to leave the house, and there was absolutely no way Sam was staring at the way Dean's tuxedo fit snugly on his ass.

 

* * *

 

 

The car ride was comfortably silent, and Dean couldn't help but smile through the entirety of the 45 minute drive because Sam was /there/ in the passenger seat. Sam was there and did nothing to change the AC/DC cassette that was playing, he was even quietly singing along and Dean felt like he was floating.

By the time they got there, though, Sam was being his normal bitchy self, complaining about why Dean had to park the car himself instead of letting the valet do it.

"I'm not letting some stranger drive my car," Dean scoffed, shaking his head as he pocketed his car keys.

"Yeah, but now we have to walk there," Sam whined, and Dean rolled his eyes again as he shrugged.

"I offered to drop you off first, but you said no. Besides, walking from the parking lot to the restaurant won't kill you." Dean bumped Sam with his elbow and laughed at the bitch-face Sam threw back.

"Whatever, Dean," Sam grumbled, shaking his head.

When they did get to the restaurant - not even five minutes later, Dean pointed out - he held the door open for Sam. "Ladies first."

"Glad to see the two of you are still close," Crowley chuckled, ignoring the glare from Sam. "How've you been, squirrel?"

"Better since you moved out of town," Dean grumbled, shaking his head as he shouldered past Crowley.

"Still mad at me, I see," Crowley hummed, moving towards Sam and smiling. "How about you, Moose?"

"Good until I had to see you," Sam grunted, stepping closer to Dean. "Don't you have someone else to go bother? Or has everyone already had enough of your bullshit?"

Crowley only rolled his eyes and stepped back in the crowd, out of Dean's line of vision, and Dean glanced over to Sam, whose hand was now wrapped around Dean's. "I'm gonna go get a drink, you want anything?" he asked, calmly slipping his hand out of Sam's.

"No I'm okay. I think I'm going to just mingle a little," Sam replied, and Dean nodded, ignoring how every fiber of his being wanted to hold Sam's hand again. God, he was such a child.

"Meet back in this spot in an hour?" he asked quietly, smiling weakly at Sam who only nodded and walked away. Dean needed a drink. Or five.

 

* * *

 

 

An hour passed quickly, and Sam did everything he could to make it seem like he wasn't just waiting for Dean.

He'd had a conversation with Billy and Tanya, a short talk about how they got married and lived in the Hamptons now, about their two kids. Nothing that really interested Sam.

He spoke to Rick, asked about business, and a bunch of other things he thought he had to ask.

He avoided Crowley, Ruby, and Lisa as much as he could, moving around the room as much as he could to prevent having to talk to any of them.

But now he stood still, and he saw Dean approaching from one end and Ruby from another. Ruby ended up getting to him first.

"Hey, Sammy," she hummed, voice too high and sweet to be genuine. "How's it going?"

Sam grit his teeth and forced a smile. "It's going well. How're you?" Not that he cared. Being polite was all that mattered, right?

"I'm great," she sang, fingers lifting to lightly play with the collar of Sam's jacket and he flinched, moving her hand from his chest.

"What do you want, Ruby?" he asked, voice firm as he looked around for Dean, who was nowhere to be found.

"I just wanted to talk," she frowned, feigning innocence as she pulled her hands away from his grip. "I hear you're a successful lawyer on Wall Street now. Good for you."

"Yeah, I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find Dean, because I don't have time for your manipulative bullshit." Fuck politeness.

Sam turned around and walked towards where he last saw Dean, sighing in relief when he finally saw him at the bar. "Can I get a scotch? On the rox," he asked the waiter, fishing out his wallet and throwing down a few bills before turning to Dean. "You know, after all these years, nobody has really changed."

"Yeah, I know," Dean nodded, taking a sip from his glass before looking up at Sam. "What did Ruby want?"

"Who knows. Probaby a wedding ring and share in my wealth," Sam snorted, smiling at the bartender before drinking the contents of his glass. "You know, I don't think I ever told you that you were right about her... About everything. And I'm sorry."

Dean just shrugged and leaned against the bar, sighing quietly as he reached over and drank the rest of Sam's scotch. "I want to go home. C'mon."

Dean hopped up from the bar stool and dropped some bills down on the bar, waving to the bartender before leaving the restaurant, and Sam followed quietly, not daring to whine and play the part of the annoying little brother. Not now.

 

* * *

 

 

The drive back was silent, and Dean insisted on walking Sam up to his door, ignoring all protests the other man made.

"You know, you seriously didn't have to do that," Sam huffed when he was on his doorstep, pushing the loose hairs out of his eyes as he smiled at Dean.

"Yeah, I know," Dean shrugged, looking back at the street before sighing. "It's good seein' you again, Sammy. Don't be a stranger forever, aight? My number's stayed the same since you left..."

Sam frowned slightly at that, mind wondering why Dean hadn't changed his number. Maybe, in some perfect world, it was because Dean didn't want Sam to be unable to contact him. "I'm not leaving for another month and a half, Dean."

This time, it was Dean's turn to frown. "Don't you got a job to get back to? And a girlfriend back home? What was her name again... Jennifer?"

"Jessica," Sam offered before laughing and shaking his head. "We broke up a few months ago. Besides, why would I wanna leave right after I get my pain in the ass best friend back?"

"Me? Pain in the ass?" Dean snorted, rolling his eyes. "I think you're confusin' the two 'a us again, kiddo."

Sam huffed a quiet laugh and smiled wider, dimples popping out as he shook his head. "See, that's exactly what I mean."

Dean smiled widely, and then his smile softened, and Sam found himself staring into endless pools of green. They were gravitating towards each other, both leaning closer, maybe without even realizing it, and they were just centimeters away from their lips touching when the door swung open.

"Dean!" Mary cried, stepping outside and pulling Dean into a tight hug. "It's been so long since you've come around here! How have you been? You have to come around more often, you're all that Sam here talks about! I'm so glad he took my advice and went to see you!"

"Mom," Sam coughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were kinda... in the middle of something."

"Oh, of course," Mary hummed, giving Sam a knowing smile as she pulled away from Dean. "My, how you boys have grown up... We're having a dinner party next week, Dean, and I'd love for you to drop in. I'm sure Sam would, too."

And with that, Mary left, leaving a blushing Sam and a bewildered Dean.

"Your mom hasn't changed a bit," Dean chuckled, finally breaking the silence between them.

"She missed you too," Sam offered, anxiously tugging at the sleeves of his suit jacket.

"Yeah, well, I gotta make sure to stop by as much as I can b'fore ya leave again," Dean nodded, reaching up to pat Sam on the shoulder. "I'm gonna get goin' now. I had fun tonight."

Sam smiled mechanically and nodded, unable to believe his mom ruined the one thing he'd been wishing for since, well... forever. "Yeah, I'll see you soon, De."

"To be continued," Dean promised, lifting up on his toes to peck Sam's cheek, right above where his dimple was.

Sam's smile became more genuine, and he nodded, relaxing a bit, and doing his best not to raise a hand up to touch his cheek. "Right. To be continued."

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner parties at the Campbell household were always Dean's favorite way to spend his Saturday nights. The Campbells were always nice to him, and they treated him as though he was one of their own, which he was grateful for.

And when he walked into the Campbell household that Saturday, he was glad to see that nothing in the house had changed. Including where they kept their spare key.

"Dean!"

Dean turned around quickly, eyes scanning the room before they landed on Sam. "Hey, Sammy Sam," he hummed, grinning as he was pulled into a bear hug. "Nice seein' ya again."

"It's been less than 24 hours, you dork," Sam snorted, ruffling Dean's hair.

"Yeah, whatever," Dean chuckled, pushing Sam away. "Where is everyone? I expected to see Samuel and everyone here."

"Nah, it's just us tonight," Sam hummed. "Samuel and the cousins are in Texas for a college roadtrip, and Mom cooked then ran. I think she set this whole thing up, because when I came downstairs ten minutes ago, she was gone."

"Sounds like your mom." Dean grinned and looked at the dinner spread. Even if he didn't have the chance to catch up with all of Sam's family, he still had the chance to hang out with Sam, which was even better.

"We gonna eat or what? 'Cuz I'm starvin'."  
Sam grinned and pulled out a chair for Dean, who sat down and unceremoniously began shoveling food in his mouth.

"You're still a pig, I see," Sam grunted, scrunching up his nose as he watched Dean eat. "Here I thought you'd behave on our date, but /no/."

Dean swallowed the food in his mouth and blinked up at Sam, smiling a little bit. "This is a date?"

"I mean... No," Sam mumbled, doing that biting-the-lip thing he always did when he was nervous, and Dean smiled wider when he noticed the splotches of red on Sam's cheeks. "Not that... What I'm trying to say is... How about we just forget I said anything?"

"Nuh uh, no way." Dean wiped his hands on his paper napkin and grinned up at Sam. "You were trying to /swoon me/ weren't you, kiddo?"

"What? Me? Swooning /you/?" Sam asked, letting out a barking laugh that was way too loud and way too fake. "No way."

"You /were/!" Dean exclaimed, laughing a bit as he shook his head. "Oh God, I can't believe this."

"Dean, please," Sam mumbled, using his pleading voice, and Dean looked up, finding Sam's lower lip wobbling.

Reaching out, Dean grabbed Sam's arm and raised an eyebrow. "Sammy, look at me," Dean mumbled, still smiling when Sam finally looked up. "You don't have to swoon me, aight? I've been with you through even your shitty emo phase in sophomore year. If I can still love ya after /that/, I'm pretty much in it for the long run, 'kay?"

"You love me?" Sam asked, voice way too small to fit in even the tiny space between them, and Dean shifted in his seat as he watched Sam look up at him through long babydoll eyelashes.

"You're an idiot," he mumbled, reaching across the table to connect their lips together. The angle was awkward, and the table was digging into his ribcage, but nothing was more perfect.

Dean finally pulled away and offered Sam a small smile before continuing to eat, his fingers intertwined with Sam's. As he finished eating, and stole some food from Sam's own plate, he made a mental note to thank Mary later for inviting him to dinner.

 

* * *

 

 

"Wake up, lazy bones! Breakfast is ready!"  
Sam sat up with a grunt, rubbing his eyes as he stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen of their large apartment. "What time is it?"

"9:30," Dean hummed, setting a plate full of eggs, bacon, and pancakes down on the table. "I've been trying to wake you up for the past two hours, but when nothing worked, I decided to make breakfast. You up late again last night?"

"Yeah, this case is kicking my ass," Sam mumbled as he moved behind Dean, pressing a kiss to the other man's shoulder.

"Just like your mornin' breath is killin' me," Dean snorted, swatting Sam away with the spatula in his hands. "Go eat. I gotta get ready for class."

"The perfect housewife," Sam laughed as he sat down, shoveling eggs and pancakes into his mouth.

"Oh shut up," Dean yelled, throwing his apron at Sam. "Listen, I've got a seminar that might run late tonight, but we're still on for dinner tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course," Sam nodded, blinking bleary-eyed at Dean. "Have fun at school, babe. And tell Ash I say hi, will you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean yelled as he grabbed his jacket and bag. "Make sure you eat enough today! This case may pay the bills, but I need my moose of a husband to stay healthy, alright?"

"See you tonight!" Sam laughed, twirling his wedding band when he heard the door slam shut. After a few minutes, Sam got up and looked at the flyer for their graduating class's 30-year reunion.

Smiling widely, Sam put the flyer up on the fridge. He couldn't wait to brag about how he finally got to marry the love of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I posted this on Insta a while ago, and people have been asking me to post my stuff on AO3, so I'm finally doing it!! (My insta is @wncxst if you were wondering)  
> Sorry for the shitty writing and the crappy summary bc this is my first time having to do this in a long ass time. Let me know what you think?


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